exaggerated perspective

One of my favorite lens to shoot with is an wide angle zoom, a 20-35mm to be precise. It allows for exaggerated perspective. Adjusting the angle by kneeling or standing on something also brings about other changes in how angles meet or converge. It all goes to altering the perspective and sense of space a viewer gets from the image. Even better in my book is that it also alters one sense of time and can add a lot to an impression of the subject rather than a literal interpretation. All good stuff in my book.

I continue to meander down a couple of different paths. Yesterday a couple of abandoned rail cars caught my eye while doing errands in Arcadia. I knew mid-day wasn't the time to shoot them. Wrong color of light and wrong contrasts. Dusk would be the best time as the warm glow from a setting sun will add a lot of character and nostalgia to a scene. Off I went once dinner was done to wander around the old rail cars and just shoot them. The also fit into the whole "arrested decay" direction that I have been exploring for many years as well.

I shot them bracketed for HDR file generation. The HDR files were done with Photomatix (no matter how I try with CS2's built in HDR I just don't get the control I want with it compared to what the plug-in can do). The images were then tone-mapped and run through virtual photographer for the final processing.

There you go arrested decay recorded and manipulated with the help of HDR.